In recent years, efforts are being made to produce hydrogen using renewable energy. Renewable energy is energy that can be permanently replenished by the natural world, such as hydroelectric power, wind power, solar power, and the like. A hydrogen production apparatus is located near an electrical power generating facility using renewable energy, for example, a hydroelectric power station provided at a water resource such as a river or a dam, a wind power generating plant provided in a mountainous area, or solar panels installed in a desert, and the like. Then, electrolysis is carried out on the water using electrical power provided from the electrical power generating facility to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen produced is transported to the points of consumption, and there it is supplied to fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles. By establishing such a system, electrical power generation facilities can be established in remote areas where the existing electrical power system does not reach, and renewable energy can be effectively collected. Also, in many cases, renewable energy output is unstable, but by converting the electrical power into hydrogen, the energy can be easily stored, and it is not necessary for the time of generation and the time of consumption to be the same.
However, frequently the remote areas where these power generation facilities are constructed are cold areas, so frequently hydrogen production apparatuses are also located in cold areas. Also, it is not possible to connect the building that houses the hydrogen production apparatus to an existing electrical power system, so electrical power is supplied from the power generation facility using renewable energy. Therefore, when the supply of electrical power from the electrical power generation facility is stopped, not only is the hydrogen production apparatus stopped, but the air conditioning of the building that houses the hydrogen production apparatus is also stopped. As a result, the water within the pipes of the hydrogen production apparatus freeze, and there is a possibility that the pipes will be ruptured.